A love not so far away!
by jraeder26
Summary: Betty and Gio both went to Rome for self discovery, but not together.They both know that the other is in Rome. What will happen will they be able to be away a whole month from each other or will sparks fly!
1. Chapter 1

_Authors note: This is what I would like to see happening when season three starts back up. This story will be probably ten or more chapters._

_Obviously this is a Gio and Betty story!_

_Rated T for now! Maybe rated M for later chapters. _

Betty stood on the balcony of her hotel room depressed. Although Italy was gorgeous and she was thankful she came to experience this, she wished she was here with Gio. Betty knew she made the right decision with this quest to find out who she was without a man but she kept picturing Gio's hurt expression.

She was glad that she didn't choose Henry. She kept picturing her life with Henry and what she saw didn't appeal to her. She did love Henry at one time and she always imagined him proposing. When he finally did it though he chose a time when she was finally learning to let herself go. If she had chose Henry she would have never ended up in Italy.

Betty walked back into her hotel room and took a deep breath today was the first day of her adventure. She picked out her outfit and walked into the bathroom. She started the shower than removed her night clothes from her body.

As she stepped into the shower all she could think about was Gio. What would they be doing if he was here with her? She wondered if they would be exploring the Vatican, maybe the Leaning Tower of Piza. She also wondered if they would have been sharing a room, would they have shared a bed, would he have joined her in the shower. Betty blushed as she thought to herself _"Stop thinking like that, Betty. _

Betty stepped out of the shower and began her day. After she got ready she decided to order room service and sit on her balcony. She was just about to sit down outside when her phone went off.

Betty ran to answer her phone. _"Hello!" _Betty let out

"_Hey, Betty, how is Italy?" _Daniel asked as he heard Betty's voice.

"_It is beautiful here, Daniel. Thank you so much for planning this for me." _Betty announced.

Daniel picked up on the sadness in her voice. _"Betty, are you ok?"_ Daniel questioned.

"_No, but I will be when I come back." _Betty said softly.

Daniel frowned at the thought of Betty not enjoying herself. He hoped when she came back she would be happy. Betty was his best friend and all he wanted was for her to be happy.

"_Daniel, how are you doing with Daniel Jr?" _Betty asked.

"_We are doing well! He is the coolest little boy. I still cannot believe he is mine."_ Daniel announced as he looked over at his son.

"_Daniel, you are going to be a great father to him."_ Betty said as she pictured Daniel smiling over his son.

"_Thanks, Betty. I appreciate that. But really I was calling to check on you." _Daniel let out.

"_I know and I will be fine. Take care, Daniel and I will see you in a month." Betty announced._

"_Take care, Betty. See you in a month."_ Daniel said as a he hung up the phone.

Betty put her phone down on the table next to the bed and went back outside. Room service came shortly after her phone call and she enjoyed her Mimosa and her breakfast.

Gio sat on his balcony of his hotel room and enjoyed the view. He thought that coming to Italy for self discovery would be much more fulfilling. He kept thinking of Betty and wishing she was there with him. He thought that the view he was experiencing would be much better if Betty was here.

He could hear Betty describing this view. God he loved her and only hoped when she came back from her trip that she would be ready to be with him.

He thought about what would have happened if she had come with him on this trip. What would they have done? Would they have gone to The Vatican, The Leaning Tower of Piza, and maybe enjoyed the all white pizza that he was craving.

He could also imagine what it would have been like to wake up next to her, laugh with her as they drank wine from the finest Italian vineyards and what would it be like to make love to her. Gio could picture her lying underneath him as he touched her intimately. _"Geez, Gio, you need a much needed cold shower!" Gio thought._

Gio picked out a button down shirt to wear and a pair of jeans. He walked into the bathroom and stripped of his night clothes. He turned on the shower and turned the knob all the way over to cold. He stepped into the shower and let the cold water hit his chiseled body.

After his shower, he order room service and walked back out to his balcony bare footed. His phone rang from inside the room and he ran to go get it. He picked up the phone and smiled when he saw who it was.

"_Hey, B, I thought you weren't going to call me while we were on this trip?"Gio questioned as he smiled at the thought of Betty being right across the hall from him._

"_I couldn't help myself. Plus, you are breathing in the room across from mine and I cannot do anything about it." Betty said softly._

"_Well actually you can do something about it. You just choose not to." Gio let out as he pictured Betty slightly frustrated._

"_You know I needed to do this on my own. I want to be the best girlfriend I can be and I cannot do that until I know who I am without a man in my life." Betty announced. She pictured Gio sitting on his balcony shaking his head, knowing she was already failing at her first rule for coming on this trip._

"_Well, you made up the rules and you are already failing, Betty. Of course, if I had it my way you would be sitting in my lap right now."_

"_Yah, I know, but we both need this time. I needed to clear my head and you needed inspiration for your sandwiches." Betty explained  
_

"_I know, I guess than this is goodbye until next month." Gio stated quietly._

"_Yah, I guess so. Bye, Gio."_

"_Bye, B." Gio said. _He hung up his phone and put his head in his hands. Gio had no idea how he was going to make it for one month, knowing Betty was just across the hall.

Betty sat with her head in her hands and let out a frustrated sigh. How in the world was she going to make it one whole month knowing Gio was across the hall?

"_A whole lot of cold showers!" they both thought out loud!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note:_ Here is chapter two. I hope you guys like it. Reviews are like Chicken salad sandwiches to Betty. She can never get enough.

It had been one whole week since Betty talked to Gio and she was miserable. She missed talking to him and telling him everything. Now here she stood in front of the Leaning Tower of Piza and all she wanted was one moment with him. The Tower was beautiful and it was lit up perfectly.

Betty remembered a quote that she heard that would describe this experience perfectly. _"Life isn't about the number of breaths you take but about the moments that take your breath away."_ Physically Betty's breath left her body as she stared at this building. She was thankful she got to experience this moment.

She told herself that she owed Daniel big time. She would clean his house, scrub his floors, and do his laundry. _"I will even spare him the disappointed look for the rest of his life." Betty thought. "Ok, that one I will have to think about some more."_

Her mind started to wonder to Gio and it made her feel a little low._ "He is somewhere in Italy and I cannot do anything about it."_

Gio walked into the small café and order an espresso. After he got his order he went back outside to sit on the patio. He watched all the hustle and bustle of the town's locals and smiled. He loved how no one seemed to be in a hurry to get anywhere. In New York it always seemed that everyone was in a hurry no matter what.

One thing out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. An old woman and old man sat on a bench arguing in Italian over the simplest thing as who did the dishes last but Gio could see the love that radiated off of them. He pictured what his life would be like with Betty as he watched the old couple and smiled sadly.

It had been one week since she had called him and he missed her terribly. _"God, Betty, why do you have to be so stubborn?" Gio thought. _He knew she needed to do this but man it was killing him. He was tired of taking cold showers when he could be taking warm ones with Betty. "_Wow, I am going to need another cold shower."_

Betty walked into her hotel and walked past the front desk to the elevators. Betty walked into the elevator and was just about to press her floor when someone yelled "_Hold the elevator."_ Betty held the door open button as the person stepped inside the cart.

Giovanni Rossi stepped onto the cart and smiled as he saw who was holding the elevator. Fate must really love him because there stood the most beautiful sight ever. _"Betty!"_

"_Gio!" _Betty said surprised. She knew eventually she was bound to run into him. But she could not believe it happened in one week.

He looked real good. _"Sex on a Stick was more like it." Betty thought_ as she took in what he was wearing. He wore a white button down shirt, a pair of blue jeans and of course his leather jacket. He smelled like after shave, cologne, and his natural scent. Betty was wishing the elevator would move a little faster before she pushed the stop button to molest him.

Betty wasn't the only one enjoying the view. Gio thought she looked good enough to eat. She wore a white blouse that showed just enough cleavage. A red sweater that matched the head band in her hair, and a black flirty skirt. Gio also noticed she wasn't wearing any tights and he smiled. _"Damn." Gio thought._

"_Hey, B, how are you doing?" Gio asked._

"_I'm good, and you?" Betty questioned,_

"I'm good." Gio let out.

Betty noticed he was taking a couple steps towards her and knew that it wouldn't be a good idea. _"Oh no you don't you stay on your side of the elevator, and I will stay on mine!" Betty said in a panic._

"_Why?" Gio asked with a mischievous smile._

"_Because, I would be breaking every rule I made up. Also I don't trust myself around you."Betty let out, flinching at her choice of words. In actuality she didn't trust anyone more than him, but she knew it was for the best._

_Gio felt like he had been kicked in the gut by her announcement and took a step backwards. "Well, all I was trying to do Betty is give you this." Gio said softly. He reached into the small bag he had and handed her a leather notebook that she could write in. "I saw it today at a small gift shop and thought of you. I thought you might want to write about something you saw. Then I thought you could share what you wrote with me when we got back home. I am sorry for making you uncomfortable." Gio said as he stepped off the elevator. _

_Betty panic as she stepped off the elevator to go after him. "Gio, wait!"Betty yelled but it was too late. Gio had already shut the door to his hotel room. _

Betty eyes snapped open as the door to Gio's hotel room shut. She was breathing heavy and her heart hurt. She was glad that it was only a dream, because she didn't think she could take it if it really had happen. She knew she needed to call Gio just to make sure though.

Betty picked up her phone and pressed the number three. A smiling pickle showed up as she pressed the call button. It rang three times when Gio finally picked up. _"Hey, B, you are breaking rule number one again?"Gio let out. His voice was low and husky and Betty inwardly groaned. She loved it that he called her B._

"_I know but it is important!" Betty said flustered._

_Gio picked up on the panic in her voice and immediately was worried about her. "Betty, are you ok? Nobody hurt you, did they?" Gio asked concerned. He threw his sheets off and started to get dressed._

"_No, I just had this horrible dream, I said something that hurt your feelings and before I could say I was sorry you shut the door in my face."Betty let out as tears streamed down her cheeks._

"_Betty, I am breaking rule number two, I am coming over to your room." Gio said softly as he hung up his phone before Betty could protest.__ let out as tears streamed down her cheeks._

_Betty hung up her phone and let out the sob that threatened to come out. There was a knock on her door and she ran to get it._

_Gio stood outside the door when she opened it and she catapulted herself in his arms. Gio walked both of them into the room, he shut the door with his foot. Gio never saw anyone more beautiful than Betty at this moment. He could tell she was visibly shaken. He cupped her face and saw the tears streaming down her face._

"_Betty, it was just a dream." Gio stated as he looked into her chocolate brown eyes. _

"_I know but I couldn't take you being mad at me. That is why I had to call you, just to make sure it weren't really mad or hurt in any way." Betty said softly. She could feel Gio's thumbs brush her tears away._

_Gio pulled her into another hug as he rubbed her back. "Betty, I am not the type of guy that gets upset and not talks about it. You should know that by now. I would never leave things unsettled between us." Gio explained as he played with her hair._

_Gio could remember Henry walking from Betty when things got to be hard. He made a promise to himself to never walk away from her no matter what. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Author note: I know it's a short chapter but it is going to be two parts. The second part will be longer!_

Betty woke up completely confused. She remembered Gio coming over and comforting her but she didn't remember falling asleep. She took in her surroundings and smiled when she saw that her hand was intertwined with another and played with Gio's silver bracelets. Betty could feel Gio's breathe on her neck and his legs tangled with hers.

Gio pulled Betty in closer to his body when he felt her stir. She smelled incredible a mixture of strawberries, vanilla, and soap. She was mentally tired from everything that she had been through and he cursed himself for being part of her problems. Gio could feel Betty move as she turned around and bury her face into his chest. He smiled at every rule she was breaking as he gently ran his fingers through her hair.

"Good morning, Gio." Betty let out in a mumble.

"Have a nice nap, B?" Gio asked as Betty looked up into his coco colored eyes.

"Yeah, thanks for making me feel better." Betty said softly.

"No problem." Gio announced as he gently rubbed his thumb in circles on the back of her neck.

Betty moved her hand so it was resting just above Gio's heart.

Gio took her hand and brought it up to touch his lips. He ended up throwing caution to the wind and pulled her so close to him that he was kissing her lips.

Betty let out a small cry of shock before she relaxed and kissed him back.

Gio massaged her bottom lip with his as his tongue explored her mouth.

Betty's hand rubbed his shaved head and Gio let out a small groan.

Gio rolled them over so that he was on top of her as his hand slipped inside her shirt.

Betty immediately tensed up and pushed Gio gently off of her. She sat up and faced the door that led to the balcony.

Gio kicked himself for moving too fast. He couldn't control himself when it came to her. "Betty, I'm so sorry, I got a little carried away."

"Don't be sorry, I got a little carried away to."Betty let out as turned around and faced him.

"Yeah, you drive me crazy, in a good way of course."Gio said with a small smile.

"Gio, it's not that I don't want to…. I'm just not ready right now."Betty let out.

"I know it's too soon after Henry." Gio said hoping that really wasn't the reason.

"No, that's not what's stopping me. It's not like Henry and I were that intimate."Betty announced as she bowed her head in shame of the lack of experience she had.

"Is that what's stopping you, B?"Gio asked.

"Yes, I have only been with two men and they were just as experienced as I was." Betty announced.

"They were that bad,"

"Walter and I were each other's first, and every time was exactly the same. Henry planned every time. The only time that we didn't plan it was our first time, and I could never enjoy myself because I was always worried about him leaving."

"Walter's every move in bed was exactly the same?" Gio asked trying to hold in his laughter.

"Down to his moves, to his facial expressions, and he wasn't gentle either."Betty announced grimacing at the times she came home barely walking, and teeth marks on various body parts.

Gio felt bad for Betty that she had such horrible experiences with both men in her life. He vowed to stay true to his statement when he asked her _"Am I a gentle lover?"_

Two hours past as they both sat on Betty's balcony eating lunch and staring out at the city.

Gio never thought Betty looked prettier than she did sitting next to him. She had her hair piled on top of her head, a pink blouse with small white polka dots on it, and a pair of jeans.

They both were both bare footed and enjoying the view.

Betty wondered if they were to enjoy the rest of the month together. Now that she spent the rest of the afternoon with Gio, she didn't want to let him go. She looked over at Gio and smiled as she took him in. He had on a wife beater and a pair of blue jeans. She remembered this morning he smelled so good, a combination of after shave, cologne, and his natural scent. It brought her back to her dream and she inwardly groaned.

Gio knew he wouldn't be able to walk out of this hotel room unless they spent the rest of their trip together. He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of her chair until she was sitting in his lap.

"Betty, are you going to have dinner with me tonight or do we need to stick with the plan?" Gio questioned.

"I think we should have dinner and spend the rest of the trip exploring together. But I think we should keep our separate rooms." Betty let out knowing she wouldn't control herself. She knew this was going to be a challenge. She just hoped she could keep it up before she fully attacked him.

"Ok, that sounds good." Gio said softly knowing full well that it was going to kill him.

_Authors note: Will our two love birds be able to handle separate rooms or will they give in to temptation before the month is over? I guess will have to wait and see._


	4. Chapter 4

_Authors note: Sorry for the delay this chapter was a little bit longer._

Betty stared in the mirror at the new black dress Hilda had bought for her. She had to admit that it didn't look to bad on her. The dress was definitely something she wouldn't wear on a regular occasion, but dinner with Gio would be the perfect time.

The dress was a pretty ebony color with pretty lacey cuffs that fell just off her shoulders. The bodice was heart shaped and showed just enough cleavage. The skirt was flirty and flowed nicely when she moved. She decided to wear her hair down and curly with a head band keeping her bangs back. She had a cute pair of heels on in a red color that matched her sweater, earrings, and toenail polish.

Gio had told her about this vineyard that was just outside of Italy. He wanted to take her for a nice romantic evening. Gio showed up at Betty's door promptly at six. He knocked on her door and was completely blown away by the vision before him._ "God, give me strength not to pounce on her." Gio thought._

"Wow, B, you look beautiful. Not that you don't always look beautiful, but…. Wow!" Gio let out.

"Thanks, Gio that means a lot to me. You look very handsome."Betty announced softly as she took in what Gio chose to wear. He was wearing a blue button down shirt, a pair of black slacks, and his usual leather jacket. He was freshly shaved and Betty was tempted to run her cheek against his cheek. He smelled so good and Betty inwardly groaned._ "How am I supposed to make it through the whole night, when he smells like that?" _Betty thought.

"Are you ready to go?" Gio asked

"Yeah, let me grab my purse and room key." Betty grabbed her belongings and exited her room.

Gio grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers as they walked to the elevator.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting in a cab on the way to the vineyard.

"So, how was the rest of your day?" Gio asked

"It was very nice and relaxing. I went for walk around town and bought some gifts for my family. I watched the locals and tourist as I sat at a small café right by the hotel. It blows my mind the difference between the people who live here and the tourist." Betty stated

"I know the tourist seem to be in a rush to see everything while the locals sit back and enjoy it." Gio announced as he stared at Betty in amazement.

"What did you do today? Did you find your flavor yet?" Betty asked with her big brown eyes fixated on Gio's coco colored ones.

"Not yet, but I did find this." Gio said as he reached into his pocket of his leather jacket and pulled a long velvet box out. He placed it in Betty's lap.

"Gio, you didn't have to get me anything." Betty announced as she ran her hand over the velvet.

"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to." Gio stated as he watched her open it.

Betty opened the box and smiled. There was a beautiful black ball point pen that sat in the box. When she turned it over it was engraved with her name and a date. "What does this date represent?" Betty asked.

"The date represents your first published article in Hot Flash. I know they rewrote it but it was still your first article." Gio let out. He was about to say something else but Betty's lips were pressed firmly against his.

Betty couldn't believe the man that sat next to her. He encourages her dreams and pushes her to be the person she is supposed to be.

Gio cupped her face and ran his thumb down her cheek as his tongue danced with hers.

Betty's hands found his biceps as they continued to kiss each other. Betty inwardly groaned when Gio pulled back and pressed his forehead to hers.

Gio took one look at the pout on Betty's face and laughed. "Betty we still have the rest of the night…Be patient….I have to be."Gio announced softly as their intertwined fingers rested in his lap.

Before Betty and Gio knew it the cab stopped at the vineyard. Gio paid the cab driver and said "Grazie" before they exited the cab.

Betty was amazed how beautiful the vineyard was. The lights around the vines and the building made it seem so romantic. As they walked in the restaurant Gio asked the hostess in Italian if they could sit outside. The hostess nodded and guided them to their table.

Gio pulled out Betty's seat for her, leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before he took his seat. He removed his jacket and sat down next to Betty as the waiter came around and took their drink order.

Betty had removed her red sweater and Gio had a hard time not staring at the extra sun kissed skin she was showing. Gio imagined running his hand down her shoulder to her finger tips and back up to her neck.

Betty caught him staring and giggled as she let out "Take a picture it lasts longer."

Gio turned the color of her sweater and smiled "I'm sorry, Betty, but you look really beautiful in that dress but like I said before you're beautiful no matter what." Gio complimented. _"But I really wouldn't mind seeing that dress on the floor of my hotel room." _Gio thought.

Betty smiled as she blushed. Gio had a way with words that could melt you like butter on a hot summer's day. "Thanks, Gio." Betty announced as she looked down at her empty plate.

Gio saw uncertainty in her brown eyes and cursed all the people who caused that. He knew she had her insecurities but he hoped he would be able to kill every insecurity she ever had.

After a nice dinner Gio walked them over to where they smash the grapes with their feet. Betty took one look at the big barrel of grapes and laughed. "You have got to be kidding me." Betty let out as she looked at Gio. Gio was already taking off his shoes and rolling up his pants.

"Come on, Betty. Let's do something crazy!" Gio said as he climbed the latter and stepped into the grapes.

Betty slipped off her red heels and climbed the latter. Before she took a step in the grapes she took a deep breath and stepped in. Gio watched as she hiked up her skirt of her dress and smiled.

There was nothing sexier than watching Betty let herself go.

"Gio, the grapes feel funny between my toes." Betty announced.

"I know but you will get used to it."Gio said as he stared at her. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

They laughed and enjoyed their time smashing grapes. Gio looked at his watch and inwardly groaned it was time for them to call it a night.

They washed off their feet and put their shoes back on. They walked over to the entrance and grabbed a cab to take them back to the hotel.

They ride back was quiet but comforting as Betty leaned her head against Gio. Gio had his arm around her as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Forty five minutes passed rather quickly as they reached the hotel. They walked hand in hand towards the elevator. Once they were encased inside the elevator Gio couldn't take it any longer as he had her pressed against the wall and was kissing her lips.

Betty's hands grabbed the opening of his leather jacket as her tongue tangled with his.

Betty's hips found Gio's and they both let out a moan.

"God, Betty, you drive me crazy." Gio let out through their kisses.

"Well the feelings mutual." Betty said as she pulled Gio closer to her body.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: This chapter is officially M. _

Betty woke up and smiled at the man that was lying next to her. The sheet barely covered the bottom of his body and Betty could get a good view of the sculpted muscles in his back.

One thing she found amusing was he had two tattoos on his back. One of them was on his lower back that looked like his last name in gothic black lettering and the other made her smile. Just below his right shoulder was a smiling pickle with a date.

Betty was completely awestruck by this man as she traced the smiling pickle on his right shoulder.

Gio stirred and opened his eyes at the beautiful sight of Betty. He got a mischievous grin on his face as he let out "Are you admiring my pickle?"

Betty rolled her eyes and laughed. "Maybe."

Gio kissed her as he layed on top of her. Memories of last night flooded both of their brains as they explored each other's bodies for the second time.

Flashback

_Gio kicked open the door to his hotel room as he continued to kiss Betty's already swollen lips. Once the door was closed Gio had Betty pressed against the wall as Betty removed his leather jacket from his broad shoulders._

_Gio's lips found the back of her neck as he nipped and licked._

_Betty's hands ran up his chest and around his neck as she continued to kiss him._

_Gio removed her sweater from her arms as his hand traveled from her shoulder to her fingertips, and back up to her neck._

_Betty let out a small moan of approval as Gio pressed his body against hers as his hands touched her intimately._

_Gio removed them from the wall as Betty kicked off her shoes._

_Betty helped Gio unbutton his shirt and take it off as Gio was working the zipper of her dress._

_In between them helping each other undress they shared small kisses as they fell back on the bed._

_Gio took in Betty's beautiful body and smiled as he nipped at her collarbone. Her curves were _

_breathtaking, her Olive skin was soft to the touch and flawless, and her legs were perfectly toned._

_Betty's hands ventured under his wife beater and ran up the raw planes of muscle in his back._

_Gio helped her remove the shirt completely before he started to work on her black strapless bra._

_Betty rolled them over so she could have some control as Gio's hands caressed her breasts._

_Gio's thumbs ran over her nipples as Betty looked into his hazed eyes._

_Betty leaned down and kissed Gio's lips as Gio rolled them back over._

_Gio's hand ran up her calve to her thigh, and just grazed her most intimate spot that was still covered by her underwear. Gio removed the barrier that was keeping him from touching her the way he wanted to._

_Gio ran his hand down her neck to her stomach, from her stomach to her heated center as he pressed his thumb down and then around to give her just enough pleasure._

_Betty arched her back and pressed into his hand. She gripped the sheets as he continued to swirl his thumb. Betty legs were shaking and they felt like Jell-O as her breathing became choppy._

_Gio could tell she was just about to lose it and switched from using his thumb to his tongue. His tongue repeated the action as he moved Betty's body closer to him._

_Betty's nerve ending snapped and she screamed as Gio removed his pants and boxer shorts from his body._

_Before Betty came down from her high Gio had prepared himself and was inside her in one swift motion._

_Betty's eyes rolled to the back of her head at the feeling of Gio entering her._

_Gio kissed Betty's lips as he moved his hips into hers. Gio wrapped Betty's legs around his waist and continued to move rhythmically with her._

_Betty rolled them over and swirled her hips into Gio's. Gio's eyes shut from the pleasure and knew he was close. _

_He pulled Betty down to kiss him as he rolled them over and grabbed Betty's hand above her head. He pressed the heel of his hand into hers as he could feel her come and bite softly on his shoulder. _

_Betty laced her fingers through his as he came close after her._

End of Flash back

Betty cuddled next to Gio after a second round of love making and smiled.

"Wow, who would have thought? Betty Suarez is screamer!" Gio said with a chuckle. "I mean you gave the old couple next door pure entertainment this morning!"

Betty buried her face in his chest and mumbled "It's your fault."

Gio heard what she said but still wanted to tease her. "What was that, Betty? I didn't hear you."

"I said it was your fault!" Betty announced as she looked up at him. He had a cocky smile on his face and Betty swatted his shoulder. "Did I mention how conceited you are also?"

Gio laughed as he brushed the hair away from Betty's face. "You're awfully beautiful when you let yourself go, Betty." Gio said softly as he looked into her brown eyes.

Betty blushed as she kissed Gio's shoulder.

"Gio, when did you get those tattoos?" Betty asked as she noticed one more on his chest. It was a cross with a name in it and a date.

"Well I got the one on my lower back when I was eighteen. I got the smiling pickle when I opened my sandwich shop and I got the cross two years ago when my grandfather died." Gio explained.

"I always thought about getting a tattoo. Hilda and I after our mom died wanted to get matching ones to remember her by. When we got to the tattoo parlor we both chickened out. Plus Papi would have skinned us alive." Betty stated.

Gio noticed the tears fall down Betty's face. "You miss your mom a lot, don't you?" Gio questioned as he rubbed her back.

"Every day! I really needed her these last couple of months. She always had a way of telling me what to do. She would have loved you." Betty said as Gio wiped the tears.

"I'm sure I would have loved her! Probably not as much as I love you." Gio announced.

Betty's eyes got big "You love me?"Betty asked.

"I have loved you since you were willing to bark at me to prove a point." Gio said softly as he kissed her forehead.

"I love you too, Gio. I don't know what I would have done the last couple months without you." Betty said as Gio kissed her lips.

"You have made me a very happy man, B." Gio let out with a smile.

Betty melted into the sheets as Gio proceeded to love her for the rest of the afternoon.


End file.
